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Doors to the Asiatic Hall Having visited the Agate Pavilion, the visitors, return through the rooms of the Empress Catherine II, into the Chinese Hall, in order to visit the Rooms of the Emperor Alexander III, situated under it.Immediately next to the Chinese Hall is the Cupola Room. It forms a kind of anteroom for there is an issue straight on to the so called Boscage Staircase. The Cupola Room has one window, overlooking the square and another facing the Private Garden; over the centre of the room is a cupola, containing 6 small semi-circular windows. The cupola and the little vaults over the windows are covered with drawings of branches and bushes. The middle of the room under the cupola forms a square, separated from the remaining part by twenty wooden grooved columns. Here the Empress Catherine II sometimes dined with a small suite, when for some reason or another she did not wish to leave her private rooms. Next to the door, which opens on to the boscage staircase, is another door leading into the Reserve Apartments, which are occupied by the members of the Imperial family, on days of large parties at Tsarskoe Selo. Those Reserve Apartments were arranged very simply several years ago, and they are not allowed to be visited by tourists. The Boscage Staircase joins the private rooms of the Empress Catherine II with the lower story in the left wing. This corridor has a separate door, facing the triangular square; it is the so-called Zubov's entrance. In the lower story a door in the vestibule of the bosque staircase opens into a small foreroom, with which begin the Rooms of the Emperor Alexander II. These apartments form a row of comparatively small, low rooms, which are distinguished by the simplicity of their ornamentation, and are situated on a level with the ground. All the windows of those rooms overlook the Private Garden. Luxury is to be found only in the "Asiatic Room". The furniture and ornaments of these rooms are worked, according to the directions of the Emperor Alexander II, showing the modesty of his personal tastes. From the little foreroom a door leads into the Reception Chamber, which has two windows. Its walls are covered with common paper; on the ceiling is the most simple modeling; along the walls stand low half cupboards of mahogany, and a divan covered with green shagreen. Several armchairs in Empire style, of the time of the Emperor Nicholas I, complete the furniture of this room. The walls are covered with battle pictures, illustrating the different uniforms of Russian and Prussian troops. There are pictures by Suhodolski, for instance, "Battle at Varna"; "Battle near Ostrolenka" by Moller, "Cossack Battery in a Ravine", by Schultz, and others. On the wall, near the chimney, hangs a picture by P. Vernet, representing the Count Orlov-Denissov with his suite; near the window, above a small desk, is a water-colour, "Jockey", by Baron Peter Klodt in 1842. The next, very small room is the Room of the Imperial Standards. It has one window, is hung with, common wall-paper and is covered with models of uniforms of different regiments. On the wall, separating this room from the preceding room, is a picture by Schwarz. "The Review of the Horse Guards in the Mikhailovski Manege in St. Petersburg on the 7th of November 1846, the 50th anniversary of the day, when the Emperor Nicholas I became their Chief". In this room are still kept the standards of the troops of the Tsarskoe Selo garrison, during the presence of the Imperial Court. The next room, with one window, is called the Arsenal Room. Its walls are also hung with paper, and are covered with drawings of military uniforms. In this room, during the life time of the Emperor, invalids, who compose the Arsenal guard in the Alexander Park, was always on service. A door from the Arsenal Room leads into the Asiatic Hall ornamented in Eastern Style. All the walls, and the embrasures of the two windows, are covered with a collection of Eastern arms; along the walls are low divans; in the middle of the room is a small eastern fountain; the floors are covered with Persian carpets; the door is richly ornamented in Eastern style; in the embrasure of the second window is a small writing-table, hidden in the wall. The collection of arm's belonged to the Emperor Alexander II and formed a part of the collection, kept in the Arsenal of Tsarskoe Selo. Beside these arms, there is also a collection of other eastern things such as; goblets, trays, bowls, pipes, incense-pans, mirrors etc. Among the eastern arms are also a few European ones, as for instance, a Russian sword the 17th century, with gilt carving and an inscription: "Christ, help to vanquish" The next room is the Study. It has also two windows; the walls are covered with paper, and hung with pictures of the Russian military uniforms, and with portraits of the Imperial Family. In the centre of the room stands a big mahogany table, with a green cloth; against the wall, adjoining the Asiatic Hall, is a large mahogany writing-table; and close to the other walls stand half cupboards, containing books. Between the windows is a broad looking glass in a gilt frame of the 18th century, and in front of it a gilded wooden table of the same period. On the writing-table, among the family portraits, are two watercolors by Hau of 1843-1845, representing; the Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, and the Grand Duchess Alexandra Alexandrovna. On the wall, adjoining the next room, are several miniature portraits : the Empress Catherine II, in a rich round bronze frame; Maria Fyodorovna, the spouse of the Emperor Paul I; William II, King of the Netherlands, and Prince of Orange. On the table stand the miniatures of the Emperors Alexander I, and Nicholas I, by Winberg. The next room is called the Dressing Room. It is ornamented in the same style as the preceding rooms. Against the wall stand a mahogany divan of the time of the Emperor Nicholas I, and two half-cupboards; between the windows is a mirror; on the walls hang portraits, photographs, and pictures of military uniforms; near the divans is a little chest of drawers with a folding cover, hiding a modest porcelain washing-set; near the chimney hangs the uniform of His Majesty's Life Guard Cuirassiers regiment, worn by the Emperor during the last summer of his residence in Tsarskoe Selo; and his game pouch. A simple looking glass stands at the window near the door, leading into the footmen's room; on the wall, next to this door is a watercolor, by Teich, dated 1858, representing the Grand Duchess Maria Aleksandrovna in the Alexander Park. Behind the Dressing Room are two small rooms more, containing each one window; the Footmen's Room, from which an inside staircase leads into the apartments of the Empress Catherine II; and the Wardrobe Room, facing the Private Garden, and communicating with the hall by a private entrance. Beyond the hall are the Reserve Apartments, which are now arranged for the members of the Imperial Family. These rooms, as much as the other rooms on the ground floor of the palace, cannot be visited; they are ornamented very simply. On the first floor of the left wing, during the reign of the Empress Catherine II, in 1779-1784, were rooms, occupied by Prince Potemkin and Lanskoy. We have in the archives of the Tsarskoe Selo Palace Administration the Imperial order, given in September 1780, expressing the desire of the Empress to transform the state staircase into the Chinese Hall, and to arrange a private entrance to the first story, with an issue into the Private Garden. In these rooms on the first floor after Potemkin and Lanskoy lived Prince Platon Zubov. During the period after the death of the Empress Catherine II, and before the accession to the throne of the Emperor Alexander II, these rooms were occupied by different persons of the court. The Emperor Alexander II always lived here, when he resided in Tsarskoe Selo, where he, as well as his Sovereign father, liked to spend the spring and autumn. After luncheon the Emperor usually walked alone, escorted by a large dog, in the avenues of the Catherine Park. In the evening, His Majesty often drove in an open carriage through all the parks. Having seen the rooms of the Emperor Alexander II, visitors ascend the Boscage Staircase, and passing the Chinese Hall and the State Rooms, return to the Church entrance-door.
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